Sacrifices
by Star Mystery Writer
Summary: 19 yrs into the future. Wyatt's evil. Chris is 19. Piper has a 12 yo daughter, Melinda. In an attempt to get the Charmed One's powers, Wyatt has kidnapped Melinda. The final showdown is coming. Who will win?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Charmed – Tear. –  
  
Author's note: This takes place in the future. The story might seem a bit confusing, but try to stay with it. It'll all make sense eventually.  
  
It was dark, really dark. The streetlights were dim, as if the bulbs were about to blow. It had begun to rain and the rain became heavier each minute that passed. Shivering, a young girl, about twelve years old, quickened her pace. She tugged her coat tighter around her body to keep warm. The girl stopped suddenly, looking behind her. She had a bad feeling that someone was following her. She glanced all around but saw no one.  
"Get a grip, Melinda," the girl muttered, "No one's following you. Stop acting like a baby . . ." She quickened her pace once more and hurried along.  
A soft thud from somewhere behind her made Melinda stop short. She spun around, her heart pounding against her ribcage. A shadow loomed behind one of the streetlights and someone stepped out from behind them. Melinda screamed and quickly ran in the direction of her house. She heard the person behind her running to keep up. Her breath came in small gulps. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, but the person was still gaining on her.  
Melinda turned onto her street, but she had been running so fast that she slipped and fell to the wet ground. She landed painfully on her knee and gasped in pain, but got right up and continued to run, limping as she went.  
The rain was torrential, now. It was pouring and thunder cracked every few minutes. The heavy rain obscured her vision. Melinda could still hear the person running behind her, faster and faster to keep up. She gasped for breath and gripped her side. Her legs had begun to cramp up, but she tried to ignore the pain. Two more houses and she'd be home. One more house to go . . . up the driveway . . . onto the front porch. She dug into her jacket pocket for her keys, glancing back towards the street, where the shadow of a person, most likely the one who had followed her, was coming closer.  
Melinda grabbed her keys from her pocket, jammed them into the door, turned the lock, and thew open the door. She ran over the threshold and slammed the door shut. Her wet shoes slipped and she once again found herself on her knees as she locked the door and screamed for help, tears glistening in her eyes and sliding onto her already wet face.  
A brown-haired woman ran over to Melinda and got down next to her.  
"Melinda, what is it? What happened??" Piper Halliwell asked, bringing her daughter close to her and hugging her tightly.  
Melinda wrapped her arms tightly around her mother and sobbed. "S- someone was following me!" she sobbed.  
Piper's eyes widened. She pulled from Melinda and looked her in the eyes. "Did you see who?"  
Melinda shook her head, shivering.  
"Go upstairs and get out of those wet clothes, honey, before you catch a cold. I'll bring you some hot chicken soup," Piper said softly, stroking her daughter's wet hair. She stood and helped Melinda to her feet.  
Melinda nodded. She hugged Piper once more before walking away and descending up the stairs to her room.  
Piper rubbed her forehead in frustration and anger. She sighed deeply before going into the kitchen. She set a pot on the stove, then poured in some chicken soup and set the flame on five. She starred at it for a moment, before turning and crossing her arms.  
"Paige! Bring Phoebe with you!" She called.  
Blue lights formed before Piper. Seconds later, the lights cleared and Paige and Phoebe stood before Piper, looking worried.  
"Piper, hey. What's up?" Paige asked.  
Piper sighed. "It's Melinda. Someone followed her home tonight."  
"What? A de-"Phoebe paused, realizing how loud she was talking. "I mean . . . a you-know-what?" she asked, whispering it this time.  
Piper shrugged, sighing again. "I don't know. I thought . . . I thought binding her powers would protect her. But I guess not." She chewed her lip, trying not to cry.  
Paige hugged her sister, then backed off. "Was it Wyatt? Did he . . ."  
Piper shook her head. "I don't know. I-"she cut off, a tear sliding down her pale face. "I don't know. It might have been. He'd do anything to get to me, even kill his own sister."  
Phoebe was about to ask something when Chris entered the kitchen. He glanced at his aunts and his mom.  
"Did I interrupt something?" Chris asked, frowning a bit.  
Piper looked down, then at Paige and Phoebe.  
"You should tell him, sweetie," Phoebe murmured.  
Piper nodded. She looked at Chris, hesitating before saying, "Someone followed Melinda home tonight." She saw the fear and anger in Chris's face and continued before he could say anything. "I don't know if it was Wyatt or one of his men or what. She's fine, though. She's upstairs."  
Chris scowled deeply. "He better not try to hurt her. I'll kill him.  
Piper leaned forward and poked Chris in his left rib. He cringed and backed away. "You're hurt. Wyatt did that to you the last time you tried to kill him. Chris, it's impossible. Going up against him is . . . suicide."  
"But mom!" Chris complained.  
"No 'buts' Chris." Piper turned to the stove and shut off the flame. She poured the soup into a bowel and turned to Chris, handing it over. "Put this on a tray, get a spoon, and take it to Melinda. And not one word to her about witches or demons or Wyatt. Or magic at all for that matter."  
"Fine, whatever. But you should just tell her, you know. You might have bound her powers and you might have kept magic hidden from her this long. But eventually, she will find out, especially if Wyatt sends his men after her again." Chris grabbed a spoon and a tray and stalked out of the room before Piper could say anything.  
"He's right, Piper," Phoebe said. "You can't keep it from her forever. She has a right to know. It's who she is and who our family is. Grams tried to keep it from us. Do you remember how unprepared you, Prue, and me were?"  
"Yeah, I do Phoebe. And look at what magic did to us. We lost so many people that we loved, including Prue. I won't let magic destroy Melinda's life, too," Piper snapped.  
"Guys, don't argue. We'll never get this solved if we argue," Paige cut in.  
Phoebe nodded. "Right, but how can we solve this? We don't know who was following Melinda. It could have been anyone, maybe even a regular person who wanted to rob her or something."  
"Maybe we should call Le-"  
"No," Piper growled, cutting Paige off. "No. He abandoned us when he became an Elder 18 years ago. I don't want him involved."  
Chris entered the kitchen once again. "Melinda finished her soup." He put the tray away and placed the bowl and spoon in the sink, then turned to look at his mom and aunts. "She's sleeping."  
Piper nodded. "You didn't tell her about-"  
"No, I didn't," Chris replied. "But I still think you should tell her."  
"Stop arguing with me. It's my decision and I don't want to. There's no reason to endanger her," Piper replied curtly.  
"She's in danger, anyway, without her powers and without knowing about magic. If Wyatt comes after her, she'll be thrilled to see him and she'll willingly go with him. Without powers, she can't defend herself. Don't you realize how bad that is?" Chris asked, eyes narrowed.  
"I understand that, Chris. But I still refuse to tell her," Piper snapped.  
"Okay, all this arguing is oh so fun. But now really isn't the time," Paige said. "We need to figure something out and soon."  
"I know what to do . . .," Piper said suddenly.  
"What?" Paige asked, watching her closely. Phoebe and Chris also looked at Piper, waiting for an answer.  
Piper chewed her lip for a moment. "Give up my powers to Wyatt." 


	2. Sacrifices Chapter Two

A/N- Hey. I hope you enjoyed Chapter One. Yellowcat909 reviewed and asked for some background info, which makes sense since this is 19 years after season 6. So in this chapter, I will add some background info for you guys. Enjoy!  
Also, Fanfiction is screwing with my paragraphing. First, it made it all one paragraph. So instead of indenting the paragraphs, I put a space between each one, including the quotes. I know it looks weird, but it's better than having it bunched up. I'm sorry! Lol. Don't hold it against me! Just enjoy the fic! ^_^  
  
"What? Piper, you can't do that!" Paige replied, horrified. "If you do that, then Wyatt's really won."  
  
Piper shrugged, trying to hold off a fresh wave of tears. "What other choice do I have, Paige? I refuse to let him hurt Chris or Melinda."  
  
"You have a lot of options. Don't give in this easily. We can beat Wyatt and protect Chris and Melinda," Phoebe countered.  
  
Piper shrugged again. "He wants my powers. He can have them. I don't want them anymore." Tears filled her eyes. She tried, unsuccessfully, to blink them away.  
  
Chris narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe you'd do that. You'd really give up you're powers to that di-"  
  
"Dimwit?" Paige asked, quickly cutting Chris off.  
  
"Not what I was going to say," Chris mumbled.  
  
"I know, but what you were going to say was-"  
  
This time, Phoebe cut in. "It's not important. Right now we need to deal with the matter at hand."  
  
Piper narrowed her eyes. "What 'matter at hand,' Phoebe? My oldest son is evil. He's trying to kill Chris and Melinda, just to get to me. He wants my powers and he wants me dead. All the good we did the last 25 years was a waste. Prue died, and for what? For this? For what our future is now?"  
  
The room was silent. Piper had made a point and no one could argue that it had a lot of truth in it. The future was not the one any of them had imagined.  
  
Wyatt had always been very curious when he was little. He was always getting into trouble from the moment he could walk and talk. At first, Piper thought it was adorable. Leo would find time to come down once and awhile and see Wyatt, and he too thought his first son's mischievous antics were adorable. But as Wyatt grew older, it became less funny and more dangerous. When Chris was born, everything seemed all right at first. When Wyatt turned ten, however, everything seemed to change. He was drawing away from his parents and his Wiccan ways and seemed jealous of his younger brother.  
  
By fifteen, he had isolated himself from the rest of the family. His sudden cold shoulder was partly due to the divorce of his parents. He seemed jealous of six year old Melinda, just like he had been jealous of Chris when he was young. But really, it went deeper than that. Soon, Wyatt began using his powers for things that completely defied the ways of Wiccan. He used spells for personal gain and for evil. Piper, panicked and desperate, had called for Leo. But neither one was able to figure out why Wyatt was behaving the way he was.  
  
Then, at seventeen, Wyatt went too far. He attacked Chris one rainy afternoon when the two boys were home alone. When Piper returned from work and saw the damage, she was scared to death that Wyatt would harm Melinda as well. She kicked Wyatt out and told him to never return. After, she bound Melinda's powers and wiped her memory clean of all things Wiccan, including any demon attacks that had taken place. She forbade her daughter entrance into the attic, fearing she'd find the Book of Shadows.  
  
Wyatt made several attempts to nab Melinda and Chris. But Piper and her sisters prevented this, tough as it was. They tried several times to vanquish Wyatt and were unsuccessful. He was powerful and, slowly but surely, becoming more powerful.  
  
Today had been the closest any of Wyatt's men had come to capturing Melinda.  
  
"Piper, I know you feel that way. And I know it's hard to see Wyatt like this, and see him doing all these bad things. But we can't change what's happened. We need to stay strong and fight," Phoebe said softly, breaking the silence.  
  
Piper nodded a bit, though still not believing it. "Fine. Figure out a Plan A. But if it fails, Phoebe, I will go to Wyatt and hand over my powers in exchange for the safety of Chris & Melinda, and you & Paige." She turned and left the room before anyone could protest.  
  
Melinda twisted and turned in her bed, gripping the sheets. She was covered in a cold, damp sweat. Her pajamas clung to her small form; her hair was matted to her head. Her breathing was heavy and came in short gulps. Every inch of her body seemed to be pulsing with pain. Her mind seemed in a fog. She tried to focus but it seemed impossible.  
  
Abruptly, her eyes snapped open and she bolted into an upright position. Her room seemed dark and shadowed. No moonlight flooded through the window, now open with its shade pulled back so a soft breeze could caress her.  
  
Melinda licked her dry lips, wondering what had caused her such a harassed sleep, wondering what had finally awoken her, and wondering what time it was now. She glanced at the clock on her night table and was startled to see that it was already past ten.  
  
Something moved in the shadows of her room. Melinda drew the covers up to her chin, the little hairs on her neck prickling. She sensed something was wrong and realized that someone was in her room with her.  
  
"Who's there?" Melinda whimpered. She saw the shadows move again. It pulled something out from a leather bag at its side. The object captured some light and the light reflected off. Melinda cringed. "MOMMY!" She shrieked. The shadow tensed, then came at her.  
  
Suddenly, Melinda's door was thrown open and the light was flicked on. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stood in the doorway. With the light, the identity of the intruder was revealed.  
  
He glanced at frightened little Melinda, then at the 'Almighty' Charmed Ones. He grinned at them, then threw the sharp dagger in his hands straight at them.  
  
"Piper, do something!" Paige cried, eyes wide.  
  
Piper's heart seemed to jump into her throat. She had two choices; she could freeze the dagger and stop it from hurting her and her sisters, therefore revealing magic to Melinda. Or she could push her sister's aside and take the dagger herself.  
  
The dagger was inches away. Piper's heart pounded in her chest as she made her decision . . .  
  
. . . And she froze it, inches from her face.  
  
Melinda's eyes widened in shock and horror. What had happened? What was going on? She looked at the man who had thrown the dagger, finally getting a good look at him. She was more shocked at the person's identity than at the fact that her mother had done something to stop the dagger in mid air. Because the person who had thrown the dagger, who had been lurking in her room – most likely to kill her – was someone she didn't think capable of harming her or her parents. But, clearly, she was wrong. 


	3. Sacrifices Chapter Three

A/N- Fanfic did it again. It made everything three large paragraphs and bunched it together. So, once again, I have put spaces between each paragraph and quote. Sorry!! Please don't hold it against me! Lol.  
  
Wyatt grinned at his mother and aunts. His eyes then focused on Melinda. He stepped towards her. Melinda pulled the covers tighter around herself, fear dancing in her eyes.  
  
"Don't! Don't go near her, Wyatt, or I swear, I'll kill you!" Piper shrieked. Balling her hand into fists. Behind her, Phoebe and Paige were tense, watching and waiting.  
  
"Try it, mother. I dare you to." Wyatt grinned; his mom hadn't moved an inch. "That's right. You can't. You never have been able to vanquish me before, so why should now be any different?  
  
"Was it you? Were you the one following Melinda home tonight?" Piper demanded, her voice shaking with anger and fear.  
  
Wyatt nodded, grinning more. "It was. It always has been. And tonight, I will succeed. I will bring her with me and watch you suffer the loss of another child."  
  
"NO!!" Piper shrieked, tears stinging her eyes. She ran forward, but was knocked back by an invisible force. Phoebe and Paige grabbed her before she could fall.  
  
Wyatt laughed. "I knew you wouldn't do anything to stop me," he said dryly. He turned and looked at Melinda again. He forced himself to smile kindly at her as he stepped forward, hand out towards her. "Come on, Melinda. Come with me."  
  
"No! Melinda, don't!" Piper cried. She tried to run forward again, but the invisible force field pushed her backward into her sisters again. "No, no, no! Get away from her!" she shrieked, tears clouding her vision.  
  
Melinda starred at Wyatt. She didn't know what to do or who to trust, not anymore. She was still unsure of what her mom had done to stop that dagger. It scared her. But she also knew that something was different about her eldest brother. Why would he try to hurt his own mom?  
  
Wyatt smirked. He saw the confusion and fear in his little sisters eyes. And he loved it. "Come on, Melinda. Come with me. We can get some ice cream."  
  
"I don't want ice cream . . ." Melinda murmured.  
  
Wyatt scowled. "Fine. We can do this the hard way." He stepped closer to Melinda.  
  
"No! Leave her alone!" Piper shrieked. She tried to run forward, but Phoebe and Paige held her back.  
  
"Piper, stop. You'll only get thrown backwards again!" Paige hissed.  
  
"But Melinda! He's going to take Melinda!" Piper sobbed, fighting to break free of her sisters.  
  
Wyatt grinned at Piper, then took another step forward and snatched Melinda off her bed, holding her to him. The little girl shrieked and flailed. Wyatt smirked at Piper, then shimmered out of the room.  
  
Piper finally broke free of her sisters and ran forward. The invisible force field had broken the instant Wyatt had shimmered out of the room. Piper fell to her knees sobbing.  
  
Suddenly, Chris ran in behind Phoebe and Paige. His eyes were red and puffy. His hair was shaggy and he looked as if he had just awoken.  
  
"What's going on? Where's Melinda?" Chris asked.  
  
"She's gone. Wyatt took her," Phoebe replied, not looking at him.  
  
Chris looked ready to kill someone. "And you didn't stop him?? You didn't try to stop him??"  
  
Piper stood and spun around. "Of course we did! He used magic on us! He had an invisible force field that he used to hold us back. I tried, Chris. I tried. Do you think I'd willingly let him take away my daughter?" She screamed.  
  
The room fell silent. No one spoke. What was there to be said?  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Wyatt paced the room, glancing at Melinda once in awhile. He had tied her hands behind her back and around a metal pole. He had tied her legs together around her ankles and he had gagged her. She was struggling with the ropes, trying to break them. Tears ran down her face. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Several times, she had tried to say something to him, but the gag had prevented this. He moved to her and knelt down in front of her. He stroked her hair; she pulled her head away from his hand, her eyes narrowed with hate.  
  
"Now, now. Is that any way to behave? It isn't like I was going to . . .hurt you." He smirked a bit.  
  
Melinda said something, but it was muffled. Wyatt lowered the gag.  
  
"I thought you were my brother and I thought you loved me!" Melinda yelled.  
  
"Oh, I do, Melinda." Wyatt smirked.  
  
"So let me go home!!" Melinda whined.  
  
Wyatt laughed. "I can't do that, Melinda. You're my leverage, the thing that will force Piper and her stupid sisters to give me their powers."  
  
"Powers? What powers?" Melinda asked, eyes wide. Powers? Was that how her mom had stopped that dagger?  
  
"You are so naïve, little girl," Wyatt commented, shaking his head. Then, a thought struck him. "That, or my smart-ass mother kept magic hidden from you somehow . . ." Melinda shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about and I want to go home!" she cried.  
  
"You aren't going home!" Wyatt yelled, standing and throwing a fireball at the wall to his right.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Piper paced the kitchen, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. She wondered what Leo was doing and if he knew Melinda had been kidnapped. She had been debating whether or not to call him and tell him. She hadn't seen him in almost five years. And what could he do? Go to Wyatt and take Melinda back? It wouldn't do any good. Leo would get himself killed and Wyatt would only try again.  
  
Paige entered the kitchen. She frowned at Piper, then went over to her and hugged her. "It's all right, honey. We'll get Melinda back." She guided Piper to the table and sat her down, then sat as well.  
  
"How? How can it be all right? My son kidnapped his little sister. He could be hurting her right now, or worse," Piper snapped, but her voice was low. "Or she could be dead."  
  
"Oh, honey, don't think that. Please don't. We need to hope for the best," Paige said softly.  
  
Piper shrugged a bit. "I just want my daughter back, Paige. I don't care what it takes. I want her back."  
  
"And you'll get her back, just as soon as we can figure out a way to get past Wyatt," said a strange, yet familiar voice from behind Piper.  
  
Piper frowned and turned in her seat. Her eyes widened in shock. "Leo . . . " 


	4. Sacrifices Chapter Four

A/N- Yay! Fanfic didn't mess with my paragraphing! Lol. So no spaces this time. Enjoy!  
  
"Leo . . ." Piper said, repeating herself. She hadn't seen Leo is so long, if felt weird to see him now. He hadn't really changed much. For the most part, he was his old self. Part of that was probably because he hadn't aged one day. Piper quickly forced herself out of her daze. "What, uh, what are you doing here?"  
"Chris. He told me what had happened," Leo responded, very monotone. "Why didn't you call for me?" he asked Piper, frowning just a bit.  
Piper shrugged. "I didn't think of it," she lied. "It happened so suddenly."  
Leo nodded but he didn't seem to believe her.  
The room became very still and quiet. Piper glanced at Leo, then away. It was very awkward, seeing him again. She chewed her lip a little.  
"Okay, well, you two need to catch up. I'll go check the Book, maybe find something to help us get Melinda back," Paige said suddenly. She slipped out of the room before anyone could stop her.  
Piper stared at Leo again, then realized how rude she must seem. She stood up. "Do you want anything? Something to eat? Drink?" she asked. "Would you like to sit?" She nodded at the seats around the table.  
"No, I'm fine. Besides, we have more important things to worry about and I can only stay down here for so long before I'm need Up There again," Leo replied. He studied Piper for a moment before speaking again. "Paige is right; we have a lot to catch up on and a lot to discuss. The first being Melinda."  
Piper nodded. "We need to rescue her, Leo. She doesn't know about magic. She must be so scared! If Wyatt hurts her, I swear-"  
"Calm down. We will. I doubt Wyatt will hurt her . . . he needs her to get to you and your sisters. And maybe that's a good thing. If he didn't need her as bait, he'd kill her."  
Piper shuddered at the thought, trying not to cry or become hysterical. "But why? Why did he have to take her? She's just a little girl!" She cried.  
Leo chewed his lip. He hesitated before stepping close to Piper and wrapping her in a comforting hug. Piper, much to Leo's surprise, welcomed the hug, sinking into him and using him as support to keep from falling to the ground. It felt so wonder, Piper realized, to be in his arms again. She looked up into his eyes; memories flooding through her of all the good times they had had together. Leo, too, felt overcome by emotion and memories. They stared at each other for a long time.  
And then they kissed.  
  
"So, nothing in the Book?" Phoebe asked Paige. Phoebe glanced up at Paige from the map of San Francisco that she had been using to scry for Melinda  
"Nothing!" Paige complained. She flipped the pages of the Book once again, about the fourth time. "How can there be nothing?! There has to be something, right?"  
Phoebe sighed, setting down the crystal and walking over to Paige. "I don't know, sweetie." She paused. "I couldn't find her anywhere in San Francisco. It's like she's dropped off the planet."  
Paige slammed the Book shut. She walked over to the antique couch and flopped onto it. Phoebe joined her.  
"So, what happened when Piper saw Leo?" Phoebe asked.  
Paige glanced at her. "She was babbling."  
Phoebe cringed. "Oh, that's not good . . ."  
"Well I don't hear any yelling, so it can't be anything too horrible. I think," Paige commented.  
They were silent for a moment. Then, Paige broke the silence, "Have you seen Chris? I haven't seen him since he came into Melinda's room and who knows when Leo saw him. It could have been hours ago. Time does run differently Up There."  
"I don't know. He was pretty upset over Melinda. Maybe he's in his room."  
Paige nodded a bit. "Just as long as he didn't go try and find Melinda. Going up against Wyatt unprotected would be like suicide."  
  
Piper pulled away from Leo. She put a finger to her lips, still shocked at what had happened. Leo cleared his throat, looking away from Piper. There was a very awkward silence for a long time.  
"Piper-"  
"We should go see how Phoebe and Paige are doing," Piper blurted, interrupting Leo. Without waiting for him to answer, she strode out of the kitchen and made her way to the attic. She heard Leo following, but didn't look back. She quickened her pace as she emerged onto the second floor, then nearly ran into the attic. Leo came in a few paces behind.  
Phoebe and Paige stood. They saw how flushed Piper looked and how distant Leo seemed. Something had happened between the two. Phoebe and Paige glanced at each other, silently agreeing to ask Piper after everything was over with.  
"Leo, hey," Phoebe said, finally breaking the awkward silence.  
"Hey, Phoebe, Paige," Leo replied gruffly, glancing at Piper once in awhile.  
Piper ignored Leo as she watched her sisters. "Find anything useful?" she asked.  
Paige shook her head sadly. "No. I didn't see anything in the Book and . . ." she hesitated.  
"And?" Piper asked, tensing up.  
"And I couldn't find her when I tried to scry for her," Phoebe replied in a low murmur.  
Piper's heart pounded against her ribcage. "No. That's impossible, unless he took her to the Underworld. Did he take her to the Underworld? Would he??" Piper asked, panicked.  
"Piper, stay calm, stay calm. It won't help anyone, especially Melinda, if you panic," Paige stated.  
"How can I not panic?" Piper demanded to know. "Wyatt has Melinda and he's doing god knows what to her!"  
  
Melinda was still tied up and gagged. She wasn't sure how long it had been. She wasn't even sure if it was morning yet, or even afternoon. She felt exhausted from lack of sleep; she had been afraid to close her eyes, afraid someone would come and hurt her or worse. She was starving, as well, because she hadn't had anything to eat since the day before. Her stomach growled noisily. She groaned, looking all around her for any means of escape. No one was around and if she could just get her ropes untied and get out . . . She tensed up, became still. Someone was coming, though she couldn't tell who or from where.  
Wyatt stepped into the room. He glanced at Melinda, starring at her for a moment. Something was in his hands, and Melinda didn't even want to think about what. Wyatt moved closer to Melinda and kneeled in front of her. The items in his hands turned out to be a plate with some food – bread, some cheese, spaghetti noodles without sauce, and some deli turkey – and a fork.  
He lowered her gag. Melinda said nothing. She stared at Wyatt as he cut off some cheese and turkey and slipped it onto the fork. He put the fork close to Melinda's mouth. Melinda clenched her jaw tightly closed, refusing to take the food.  
Wyatt rolled his eyes, annoyed. "It isn't poisoned. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead."  
Melinda still refused to eat it. She snubbed Wyatt, turning her face away.  
Wyatt clenched his fist, stood, and threw the food at the wall.  
"Fine. Don't eat. Starve, for all I care," he snarled. He turned to leave, but stopped mid-step. He had an idea. An idea that would not only get him his mother's powers, but also give him the satisfaction of breaking her heart and making her life not worth living. He turned and looked at Melinda, smirking. 


	5. Sacrifices Chapter Five

Chris separated himself from Bianca, the feeling of her lips still on his. He stroked her soft hair. Bianca smiled at him, but her smile was distant and sad. She looked around at their Spot, one of the few places Wyatt hadn't destroyed. Bianca sighed, looking back at Chris again.  
"I'm sorry . . . about Melinda. But I'm sure you'll get her back. Your mom and aunts wouldn't let anything bad happen to her," Bianca said, trying to sound encouraging.  
"They already have let something bad happen to her. Wyatt has her, and if that isn't bad I don't know what is," Chris countered, a hint of anger in his voice. "I just hope getting my dad to come down and help was the right thing to do."  
Bianca frowned. "Why wouldn't it be? He's an Elder. He can help."  
Chris shrugged, stroking Bianca's hair again. "He and my mom haven't seen each other in five years. I doubt she even knows that I go up to see him once in awhile."  
"You did the right thing, Chris," Bianca said softly, "You were only trying to help Melinda."  
"But I didn't. Wyatt has her now and her life is in danger. What kind of brother am I? I should have been watching over her and taking care of her!" Chris fumed.  
Bianca frowned again. She wasn't really sure what to say to that. But she had to say something. "You did the best you could. Who knew this would happen? You can't blame yourself, Chris."  
Chris looked away. He didn't want Bianca to see him crying. Once he had his tears under control. He looked at her again. "If anything happens to her, I don't know what I'd do."  
Bianca hugged Chris. "Don't worry. She'll be okay. Everything will be okay."  
  
Leo orbed back into the attic, where the sisters were waiting impatiently. As soon as they saw the white and blue orbs, they jumped up from their seat and stared at him. He sighed and shook his head.  
"That's impossible!" Piper cried hysterically. "How can she not be in the Underworld? She certainly isn't up here! We'd be able to scry for her if she was, and we can't. And you can't sense her. So where is it? Leo, what did he do with her?" she growled, clenching her fists.  
"I don't know, Piper. But we'll find her and we'll get her back. I'm going to go talk to the other Elders and see if there's anything we can do." Leo orbed out.  
Phoebe and Paige exchanged glances, then nodded. Phoebe took a deep breath and stepped closer to Piper. "I know this is probably a bad time to ask, but what happened between you two in the kitchen? You seemed . . . weird."  
Piper narrowed her eyes at her sisters, then looked away and sighed. "We . . . kissed."  
"You what?" Paige asked, dumbstruck. "But you've been divorced for five years now!"  
Piper shrugged. "I know. It just happened." She cleared her throat. "Look, this really isn't important right now. We have to figure out what happened to Melinda and find her. Fast."  
Phoebe and Paige nodded.  
"Hey, where's Chris?" Piper asked, suddenly worried. "He didn't go after Wyatt himself did he?"  
"We, uh, don't know," Phoebe replied, stepping back. "We haven't seen him."  
"Chris? Chris!" Piper called.  
Chris didn't come right away, but about three minutes later, he orbed in, faint traces of lipstick on his mouth. "What?" he asked, obviously annoyed.  
"And you were where?" Piper demanded, glancing at his lips and the lipstick on them, then into his eyes.  
"Out." Chris replied"  
"Out where?" Piper asked.  
"Mom, stop. It doesn't matter and I really don't need the third degree right now," Chris snapped.  
Piper narrowed her eyes at him.  
"I think I have an idea of how to get Melinda back," Chris said after a moment of hesitation. He then began telling them of his plan.  
  
Wyatt set a chair down in front of Melinda and sat in it. He smirked at her as she stared at him, looking scared and helpless.  
"I'll make you a deal, little one. If you swear not to scream, I will remove your gag," Wyatt said.  
Melinda thought for a moment, then nodded. Wyatt simply flicked his hand and the gag disappeared. Melinda gulped, whimpering in fear.  
"H-how did you do that?" She asked, her voice shaking.  
Wyatt smirked. "Mother certainly has hidden magic from you very well. I must applaud her for that. But she didn't do a very good job protecting you, otherwise you wouldn't be here now."  
"Why do you keep talking about magic? I don't know what you're talking about and I just want to go home!" Melinda cried.  
"Because, my dear little sister, I have bigger plans for you than that. First, I need to send Aunt Phoebe a little . . . message," Wyatt replied, grinning. He closed his eyes and concentrated, opening them a few moments later. "There we go . . . Now, as for you," he said, looking at Melinda with a grin on his face. He stood and moved close, materializing a dagger in his hand. He kneeled in front of Melinda. "Time to make that premonition become reality. Only the outcome isn't what they think it is . . ."  
  
Phoebe gasped, her eyes snapping shut, and a vision hit her; A girl, Melinda she realized, chained to a stone table. Someone cloaked by shadows – but who Phoebe guessed was Wyatt – held a dagger over the little girl.  
And fast as the vision had come, it ended. Phoebe opened her eyes and gulped, looking from Paige to Chris, to Piper.  
"What is it? What did you see?" Piper asked Phoebe, worried that Melinda was in danger.  
Boy, was she right.  
"I-I saw Melinda." Phoebe paused, then continued, "She was chained to a stone table and someone was holding a dagger over her." She paused again. Piper looked sick to her stomach. Phoebe sucked in a breath. "I think it was Wyatt."  
"We can't let him do that to her!" Piper cried, her voice shaking as tears slid down her face. "We can't let him hurt her! She's just a little girl."  
"So we do what I said we should do," Chris suggested.  
"Chris it's too dangerous," Paige said, shaking her head.  
"Do you have a better idea?" Chris asked. He looked as if he wanted to yell, but was trying to contain himself. "It's all we have. If we don't do something now, we might not have another chance."  
Phoebe chewed her lip. "I agree with you, but Paige is right. We don't know what could happen if we go through with it."  
"And if we don't go through with it? What will happen then?" Chris snapped. "Melinda will die if we don't!"  
"Melinda is lost to you," came a voice from behind them, "She belongs to me and mine now."  
Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Chris all spun around. Wyatt stood behind them, Melinda at his side. She didn't look scared or hurt. She looked angry, almost evil. She looked as if she wanted to kill someone.  
And her eyes were locked on Piper. 


	6. Sacrifices Chapter Six

"Melinda!" Piper cried. She tried to run forward but Phoebe held her back. "Phoebe, what are you doing?" she demanded.  
"It isn't Melinda, not anymore." She narrowed her eyes at Wyatt, anger coursing through her. "He did something to her."  
Wyatt laughed a cold, bitter laugh. "Such the smart little witch."  
Phoebe's face paled. "You sent me that vision. You wanted us to think you were going to kill her, but you didn't did you? You just turned her evil . . ."  
Wyatt grinned and nodded. Horror struck Piper like a slap in the face. She felt cold all over. How could this be happening? How???  
Melinda held her hand out, palm up. A fireball formed in it. She looked at Piper, her eyes blank and emotionless. She lifted her hand up beside her, palm facing outward, ready to throw the fireball.  
"Melinda, don't! Fight it, I know you can!" Piper said, trying to keep her tone calm. "Please, sweetie, it's me, your mom! Please fight it!'  
Melinda tilted her head slightly to the side, then released the fireball. Piper didn't move.  
"Piper!" Paige cried. Piper was engulfed in orbs and disappeared. Seconds later, the fireball landed right where Piper had been standing and she appeared again, this time right beside Paige and Phoebe.  
Piper ignored it, acted as if her own daughter hadn't nearly killed her. She stepped forward.  
"Melinda, fight this. I know you can!" Piper snapped harshly. "I know I shouldn't have kept magic hidden from you. I know that now! And I promise no more secrets. But you have to fight this! You have to come back to me!!"  
Melinda simply stared at Piper. She blinked once and Piper was thrown backwards into the wall. She fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Phoebe ran over to Piper to make sure she was okay.  
Wyatt laughed. "How does it feel, mother," he asked, when Piper was back on her feet, "to have your sweet little girl try and kill you? Breaks your heart, does it not?"  
"You evil bastard!" Piper hissed. She ran at Wyatt. Halfway there, however, Melinda formed another fireball and threw it at her. Piper gasped and tried to move away, but the fireball still managed to graze her arm, then fly into the wall, leaving a black mark.  
Chris orbed out of the room, then back in behind Melinda. He grabbed her around the waist. He was about to orb out when a hand came down and smashed into the side of his face with a tremendous force. It knocked him off balance. He lost his grip on Melinda and fell sideways onto the ground. His cheek stinging, he forced himself up, but was quickly thrown off his feet once again; Wyatt had used his telekinesis to throw Chris up into the air and back down on top of one of the antique, wooden chairs. The chair snapped and sent Chris sprawling onto the floor.  
Piper held one hand over her arm, hissing in pain. But she still forced herself to stand up. She glared at Wyatt with hate. "How could you do this? Why are you doing this?"  
"For my own personal pleasure," he replied, grinning. "Oh, and so you'll give up your powers and feel as if life isn't worth living since Melinda is on my side now and you've lost two children, three once I finish off Chris."  
"No, don't you dare touch him!" Piper howled, throwing her hands up in an attempt to blow Wyatt up. Instead, he simply fell back a step. This made him laugh.  
"Nice try, mother. But it won't work. You can't blow me up. I may be evil, but your blood still runs in me, and as long as it does, I am invincible. From you, at least. By the time you figure out how to destroy me, I will have destroyed you," Wyatt promised. He grinned, then took Melinda's hand and shimmered them out of the room.  
Piper collapsed to the ground, sobbing. The pain in her arm had melted away; she was numb. Paige ran to help Chris and Phoebe went to Piper.  
"Piper, it'll be o-"Phoebe began, but Piper interrupted, "Don't say it, Phoebe!" she hissed. "Don't tell me it will be okay because it won't! Wyatt is stronger than we are. He has Melinda under his control now and we'll never get her back!"  
"You can't think that," Paige insisted, helping Chris to his feet. "We need to get you two cleaned up. Leo!" she called. "Leo, we need some healing here!"  
Leo orbed down into the attic. He took one look around before going to Chris and healing his wounds, then doing the same to Piper. He sighed. "What happened?"  
"Wyatt. He attacked us," Chris responded gruffly.  
"He still has Melinda, Leo!" Piper cried. She paced the attic, angry that she hadn't been able to help Melinda, angry with Wyatt for putting her through this, angry that she hadn't told Melinda about her powers sooner. If she had known about her powers, she would have been able to protect herself from Wyatt.  
"There's still my plan . . ., "Chris said suddenly.  
"It's too dangerous, Chris. I won't risk loosing you, too," Piper murmured, not looking at him.  
Leo looked skyward, then at his family. "Look, I was in the middle of an important meeting with the Elders. They might have a way to get Melinda back. So I need to go back up there. But I'm just an orb away . . . "When no one answered him, he orbed out.  
"I'm going to go check the Book again," Paige said, walking over to it and flipping the pages.  
"And I'll scry for Melinda again," Phoebe offered, going back to the map and dangling the crystal over it.  
"It won't work. Why are you wasting your time?" Piper asked bitterly. "We've failed. We failed the moment Wyatt became evil. We failed to vanquish him when we had the chance. We failed to save Melinda."  
Chris was silent, as the sister's continued to argue. His eyes were closed and he looked as if he were concentrating very hard on something. After a moment, he opened his eyes.  
"Mom," Chris said lightly.  
Piper turned to Chris, anger and sadness dancing in her eyes, but then she noticed the look on Chris' face and frowned. "Chris what is it?"  
"I love you," Chris replied before orbing out.  
"Oh no . . . no he didn't!" Piper shrieked. "Please, tell me he didn't go after Wyatt alone!"  
Phoebe and Paige couldn't answer and didn't have to. They all knew the answer to Piper's question. What they didn't know was whether or not they'd ever see Chris again.  
  
Chris walked cautiously. The Underworld was reeling with demons, warlocks, and Darklighters. He walked down a faintly lit tunnel, his body tense and alert. At the end of the tunnel, he peaked into a room that was almost dimmer than the tunnel, if that was possible. Inside the room, Wyatt spoke quietly to the Source while Melinda patiently waited at his side. Chris' heart broke into pieces, seeing his little sister standing there, brainwashed and helpless.  
Wyatt and the Source spoke louder. Chris leaned closer to listen.  
"Yes, Source. That was going to be my next job. But I don't think it wise to bring Melinda. Mother and her stubborn sister's might eventually figure out how to undo the magic I have used on her. I doubt they will. I used a very strong potion. But in the off chance they do, I do not want them to get her back. I want my mother to suffer," Wyatt said slowly and calmly.  
The Source nodded. "Very well. Leave her with me. Return to the Manor and get me the Book. Once you have it, we will turn it evil and strip the witches of their powers."  
That was Chris' cue. He stepped out from hiding and sauntered over as if he owned the place. "Wouldn't it be easier if someone else got the Book?"  
Wyatt turned to stare at Chris. The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin. "Chris." Wyatt looked in a daze, as if he were thinking up all the ways he could torture Chris, slow and painfully. He blinked and came back to reality. "To what do we owe this . . .pleasure?"  
"Well, you want the Book right? The sister's will be waiting for you to come back. They figured out a way to vanquish you and get Melinda back," Chris said, his expression blank and unreadable.  
Wyatt narrowed his eyes. "Have they?" he asked, watching for even the slightest change of expression, any hint Chris was lying. When he got none, he continued. "And what does this have to do with you?"  
"I could get the Book for you. I'll wait until everyone is downstairs. I'll go into the attic, grab the Book, and bring it to you," Chris explained.  
"And what do you get in return?" Wyatt questioned; knowing there had to be a catch.  
"Remove whatever magic you out on Melinda and let me take her home," Chris responded. "And don't ever try to hurt her or the sister's again. I'll keep them out of your hair."  
"Why do I not believe you, Chris?" Wyatt asked, frowning deeply. "Do you really think I'd believe such a story? Especially coming from you."  
Chris shrugged. "That's up to you. But if you go to the Manor, you might not get out. You'd have a better chance trusting me to do it."  
Wyatt was silent a moment before nodding. "Fine. But if you are disloyal to me, you will die."  
Chris nodded once. "Remove the magic from Melinda so I can take her home, then I'll go get the Book."  
"I'm not stupid, Chris," Wyatt replied, laughing. "No, no. Get the Book for me and then I will remove the magic."  
Chris didn't want to do this. He didn't trust Wyatt anymore than Wyatt trusted him. But he also knew Wyatt was stubborn. If Chris didn't do his part first, he'd never get Melinda.  
"Fine." Chris nodded once and then orbed back to the Manor.  
The sister's sat in the living room. Chris tiptoed past, trying not to be seen. But Piper spotted him.  
"Chris, where were you?" she demanded, jumping up and rushing to him, embracing him. "We were so worried!"  
"I went to see Bianca, at our spot," Chris replied. "I'm going upstairs to lie down." He untangled himself from his mom and walked slowly to the stairs, down the hall, and then to the attic. He paused at the door, taking in a deep breath. He then walked to the Book and picked it up, starring at it for a long time. He shook his head and turned around, about to orb out when he spotted Piper, Phoebe, and Paige standing in the doorway.  
"What are you doing with the Book?" Piper asked suspiciously.  
Chris gulped. "I was going to bring it downstairs so I could look at it again."  
"But you said you were going to lie down," Phoebe countered.  
"Oh . . .right. I meant, I was going to take it into my room to look at."  
"So why were you about to orb out of the attic with it? Your room isn't that far away," Paige questioned.  
Chris felt his face turn red. The sisters stared at him.  
Busted. 


	7. Sacrifices Chapter Seven

A/N: Fanfic screwed with the paragraphing, so I had to space them apart. Sorry! Hope you enjoy!!  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
"Chris, tell me the truth," Piper said firmly. "What were you planning to do with the Book?"  
  
"Look at it. That's all," Chris insisted, but Piper wasn't buying it.  
  
"Chris," Piper repeated, her voice low, menacing, and motherly in a bad way.  
  
Chris shrugged apologetically and, Book in hand, orbed out.  
  
Piper stared, wide-eyes and horrified, at her sisters.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Chris stood before Wyatt, clutching the Book. "Remember our deal, Wyatt. You said you'd let Melinda go," he reminded his older brother, glancing at Melinda with a frown, then looking back at Wyatt.  
  
Wyatt nodded once. "Give me the Book first."  
  
Chris knew better than to agree and hand such a powerful magical object over to such an evil person without getting what he wanted, but what was he to do? Wyatt wouldn't let Melinda go if he didn't have the Book in his hands first. So, sighing, Chris handed the Book to Wyatt.  
  
Grinning, Wyatt took the Book and stared at it. It was his! Finally his!  
  
"The Book of Shadows . . . and now, it is mine," The Source, standing behind Wyatt, remarked, cackling.  
  
Wyatt frowned a bit, turning to look at the Source. "All yours? You mean . . ." he formed a fireball/energy ball mix and threw it at the Source, who screamed and shrieked before becoming nothing more than a pile of ash, "all mine," Wyatt finished, grinning evilly. He turned to look at Chris again, holding the Book in one hand and holding Melinda's hand in his left.  
  
Chris gulped. If Wyatt had enough power to vanquish the Source with just a fireball/energy ball . . . He shook his head and glared at Wyatt. "Now, Hand Melinda over."  
  
Wyatt hesitated, looking as if he were thinking it over. "Ah, no." He grinned. "Thanks for the Book, though! Ciao, little brother." Holding Melinda and the Book close to him, he shimmered out of the Underworld, leaving Chris alone.  
  
The hard part now? Going home and telling his mom and aunts that the Book of Shadows, source of their magic and powers, was in the hands of Wyatt.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
"What could Chris have wanted with the Book? He knows better than to take it someplace without telling us," Phoebe remarked, watching Piper pace the attic.  
  
"I don't know. But if he did anything stupid, he's grounded until he's married," Piper snapped, pacing more. "Leo! Leo!" she shouted, gritting her teeth. She had been calling her ex-husband for nearly fifteen minutes now with no luck.  
  
Moment's later, blue orbs filled the room. It wasn't Leo, however. It was Chris.  
  
"Chris, you're back! But . . . where's the Book?" Paige asked. She watched Chris closely, mostly because she didn't want to see the looks on her sister's faces if Chris had bad news.  
  
"I have good news and I have bad news," Chris replied calmly.  
  
"Good news first," Piper said, fighting to hold back her panic and dread at 'the bad news.'  
  
Chris hesitated before answering. "Well, good news, the Source is vanquished."  
  
"That's great!" Paige exclaimed. "Now we won't have to worry about him!"  
  
"Hold your cheers, Paige. There's still the bad news," Phoebe remarked, waiting for Chris to continue.  
  
Chris gulped. This was the moment of truth. He was only thankful that Piper couldn't use her powers on him. "Wyatt has the Book of Shadows."  
  
The room became pin-drop silent. Phoebe's eyes widened in shock at what she had heard; Paige looked like she was going to pass out. Piper, however, was pissed off to the tenth degree.  
  
"WHAT??" she roared. "Chris, how could you let this happen?? How could you let Wyatt get the Book?!"  
  
Chris didn't respond. He knew better than to argue when Piper was pissed off.  
  
Piper began to pace the room again. "So now he has Melinda and the Book. Well, great. That's just great. He could strip our powers right here and right now if he wanted to! He could turn the Book evil, therefore turning us evil. He could vanquish us if he wanted to. He has access to spells and potions, demons and warlocks. This is not good at all!" she hissed.  
  
"Piper, calm down. Having a hissy fit won't help get the Book back," Phoebe commented.  
  
Piper stopped pacing and glared daggers at Phoebe. "And how do you expect to get it get, Pheebs? We don't have potions recipes, we don't have vanquishing spells, we don't have spells to summon demons who could take us to Wyatt," she huffed.  
  
"So we improvise. I can write up some spells. Paige could make some potions. We've been witches long enough to know what ingredients do what, and what ingredients work best together. You could try to scry for Wyatt. I could write a spell that will allow you to scry for demons and warlocks in the Underworld," Phoebe replied.  
  
Piper shook her head. "No. It won't work. Wyatt is strong. He's stronger than we are. And now he has the Book. For all we know, he's plotting to kill us right now."  
  
"So what do we do, Piper? Sit here and wait for that to happen? Wait for him to come and kill us?" Phoebe asked. "I won't do that. I'll fight to the end, even if that end is our end and even if it's sooner than it should be." Without waiting for a response, Phoebe marched out of the attic and to her room to write up some spells.  
  
Paige watched Phoebe leave then looked at Piper. "I second that. Wyatt may have our Book and he may be more powerful than we are. But if we don't fight back then we will die. At least fighting gives us the chance to go down as heroes." She hesitated a moment before retreating out of the attic and down to the kitchen to begin work on some potions.  
  
Piper let out an aggravated sigh. She knew her sisters were right, but it seemed hopeless now. At least before, they had the Book as a guide. But now . . .? They had nothing but what they knew and what they knew, even after so many years of being witches, wasn't much. It certainly wasn't enough to defeat Wyatt.  
  
"I'm sorry, mom," Chris muttered.  
  
"You should be!" Piper fumed then saw how upset Chris looked. She sighed. "I'm sorry, too. I'm just . . . I'm fed up with being a witch, I want my daughter back, and . . . and I want Wyatt back. If we hadn't become witches, he'd still be with us. If we hadn't become witches, Prue and Andy would still be with us." She paused, looking down then back at Chris. "And sometimes I wonder if I should just give up my powers to Wyatt. Make a deal with him, my powers for Melinda back and his guarantee that no demons will attack as, ditto any warlocks, Darklighters, and anything else magical."  
  
Chris shook his head. "Making deal with him is worthless. Once he has what he wants, he's done. He won't keep his end of the bargain. I know . . . "  
  
Piper frowned, then opened her eyes wide. "Oh god . . . that's why-"she paused. "You took the Book to Wyatt in exchange for Melinda, didn't you? You gave it to him before you had Melinda and once he had it, he took off with her."  
  
Chris was silent. He couldn't look his mom in the face.  
  
"You did, didn't you??" Piper cried, shaking her head in disbelief. "Chris, how could you? It's one thing if you took it out of the house and he got it. But to hand it over willingly?"  
  
"I wanted Melinda back," Chris snapped. "Wyatt was plotting to come after the Book. So I told him I'd get it for him in exchange for Melinda. I figured once I had her, I'd orb her and the Book back home and we'd figure out how to get her back to normal once we had her. The plan backfired."  
  
Piper swallowed back her tears. Her eyes held disappointment and sadness. Without saying anything to Chris, she turned and left the attic.  
  
"Hurt's doesn't it? It kills to know that her pain was caused by you."  
  
Chris turned to see who was speaking to him. He narrowed his eyes. "Wyatt."  
  
Wyatt smirked. "Hello, little brother."  
  
"What are you-"Chris began, but stopped when he saw Melinda at Wyatt's side.  
  
Wyatt's smirk grew wider. "I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you, Chris. You wouldn't want to hurt Melinda, would you?"  
  
"You evil bastard!" Chris snarled.  
  
"Thanks!" Wyatt replied, taking it as a compliment. "Now, how do you plan to get out of this mess? I have the Book of Shadows and Melinda. Mother and her stubborn sister's have nothing but powers, which will be mine very shortly, and common Wiccan knowledge."  
  
"What do you mean, the powers will be yours very shortly?" Chris asked, though he was sure he knew the answer.  
  
Wyatt laughed a bit. "You know the answer to that one, little brother." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Has father been around? I hear Piper's been calling him and he hasn't been responding."  
  
Chris felt his anger soar higher. "What did you do with him??"  
  
"He's safe . . . for now. I just need him out of the way for awhile," Wyatt replied coolly, smirking.  
  
"Out of the way for what?" Chris demanded to know.  
  
"For what's about to happen," Wyatt replied. "In about three . . . two . . . one-"  
  
"PIPER! PHOEBE! HELP!" came the strangled cry of Paige from down in the kitchen.  
  
Chris glared daggers at Wyatt. "What did you do??"  
  
'HELP!" Paige cried. She shrieked.  
  
CRASH!  
  
And silence.  
  
Wyatt held Melinda close to his side. "Until we meet again, Chris" and shimmered out.  
  
Chris quickly ran out of the attic and down the hall. He ran down to the kitchen and what he saw stopped him in his tracks.  
  
Piper and Phoebe were kneeling over a fallen Paige . . . A Darklighters poisonous arrow sticking out of her stomach. 


	8. Sacrifices Chapter Eight

A/N: I know it's long. It was nearly 5 pages on Word. But then Fanfic messed with the paragraphing and I had to space it, so it came out to 6 pages! Sorry about that! But I hope you enjoy, anyway! -------------------------------------------  
  
"Leo!!" Piper and Phoebe yelled in unison. Together, they helped Paige up and stumbled into the living room with her. Chris followed close behind as the sister's put Paige down on the couch.  
  
"Leo, help! It's serious!" Phoebe cried.  
  
Piper ran out of site. Moments later, she returned, her arms full of bandages, cloth, ointment, gauze, and medical tape. She dropped it beside the couch, then ran to the kitchen, filled a bowl with warm water, and came back, placing it on the coffee table.  
  
"Leo!" Piper yelled. "Damn it, where is he?" she snarled.  
  
"Piper help me sit her up," Phoebe said, gently pushing Paige into a sitting position with Piper's help. Phoebe then snapped the back of the arrow off and laid Paige back down, taking the arrow in a tight fist. "Paige, this might hurt," she said gently, before ripping the poisonous arrow out of her little sister.  
  
Paige shrieked in pain, twisting and turning.  
  
"LEO!" Phoebe screamed, louder than before.  
  
"He won't come," Chris said, speaking up for the first time since he had come downstairs.  
  
"Chris, what? What are you talking about?" Piper asked.  
  
Chris didn't want to worry his mom any more, but she had to know. "Wyatt came into the attic. I think he planned the Darklighter attack on Paige. And I think he did something with dad."  
  
Piper started to laugh. "What else can go wrong today?" she asked, shaking her head. "Melinda's gone, Wyatt has the Book, Paige is fatally wounded, and Leo might be captured or dead."  
  
"Phoebe looked away from Paige. "I think it just got worse," she muttered hoarsely. "Her breathing is shallow and her pulse is barely there."  
  
"I've never done it before, but maybe I could try to heal her," Chris suggested.  
  
"Go for it. It's our only option and I'm not loosing another sister," Phoebe replied, moving out of the way so Chris had room.  
  
Chris walked to Paige and knelt down beside her. He took a deep breath and placed his hand over her wound, careful to avoid touching the poison himself. He put all his thought and strength into healing Paige. A golden glow emanated from his palm. The wound began to heal and was gone in seconds.  
  
Paige blinked a few times, shaking as she sat up. "Thanks, Chris, I owe you one."  
  
Chris smiled a little and nodded.  
  
"We still need to find Leo, get the Book, save Melinda, and . . . and vanquish Wyatt," Piper said, hesitating on the last part.  
  
"Are you sure, sweetie?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Piper sighed and nodded. "What other choice do we have? It's the only way to stop him. So, Phoebe, we'll need those spells you were working on. Paige, are you up to potion making?" Paige nodded. "Chris . . . you've done enough for one day."  
  
Chris narrowed his eyes a little. "I said I was sorry."  
  
"Sorry doesn't get the Book back," Piper reminded him, arms crossed. "Right now we need to pray he doesn't strip us of our powers. As long as we still have them we have a fighting chance." She sighed and gathered up the first- aid stuff. "Guess we didn't need these. At least you did one thing right," she remarked before disappearing up the stairs to return the medical stuff to the bathroom.  
  
Chris gritted his teeth to keep from commenting. Instead, he turned to Phoebe and Paige. "Can you guys deal with this alone? I have some things I need to do."  
  
Paige and Phoebe exchanged worried glances, then looked back at Chris.  
  
"Don't worry. I won't screw anything up again," he sighed.  
  
"Alright. Just . . . check in," Paige said, nodding him off.  
  
Chris nodded back and orbed out.  
  
Phoebe sighed. "Come on, let's go check on Piper."  
  
Paige nodded, following Phoebe up the stairs to the second floor, then to Piper's room. Paige knocked, but there was no answer. She exchanged a worried frown with Phoebe and knocked again - No answer.  
  
"Piper?" Phoebe called, reaching out and turning the knob on the door but it was locked. "Okay, now I'm worried. Piper!"  
  
Paige took Phoebe's hand and orbed them into Piper's room. Inside, it looked as if a hurricane had run through; clothes were strewn across the bed and floor, loose papers littered the carpet, perfume bottles and jewelry were knocked over on the dresser. Pictures on Piper's nightstand had been knocked onto the floor, their glass shattered. The door leading to the bathroom was broken off it's hinges and splintered, looking as if Piper had blown it up, and the sheets on the bed were ripped off, half on the floor, the pillows torn apart and the stuffing strewn across the bed and floor.  
  
"Oh god," Phoebe murmured, holding Paige's wrist to keep from falling over in shock.  
  
"You don't think . . ." Paige began, but Phoebe finished for her, "Wyatt."  
  
Paige tried to remain calm. "Okay, it's okay. All we need to do is go up to the Book and-"she cut off in mid sentence, remembering that the Book was in Wyatt's clutches. She separated herself from Phoebe and moved to Piper's bed, sitting, feeling completely helpless.  
  
"Our problems just got bigger," Phoebe muttered, pacing the room, trying to avoid stepping on anything.  
  
In her many years of being a witch, Phoebe had run into a lot of dead-ends, but she, Piper, and Prue had always managed to fix things, one way or another. In the end, everything had almost always worked out, with a few minor, and sometimes major, things happening now and then. But of all the things, this was the worst. So much was going wrong and there didn't seem to be any way to fix it. Melinda was brainwashed and evil, Wyatt had the Book, Leo wasn't answering their call, and now Piper was missing. There was also the possibility that, at any moment, Wyatt could decide to strip their powers.  
  
Wait! Phoebe thought, Powers! She could try to get a vision. She began to walk around the room, touching everything that was out of place.  
  
"Phoebe, what are you doing?" Paige asked, sounding groggy, like she hadn't slept in days.  
  
"Trying to get a vision. Maybe it will tell us who took Piper or where she is," Phoebe replied, touching the perfume and jewelry on the dresser before moving to the door. She touched it carefully to avoid getting a splinter. And then, it hit her, hard and fast.  
  
-Piper, lying on her bed with tears in her eyes. She felt bad for being so hard on Chris. Something caught Piper's attention and she looked up, then her face contorted into one of anger. Suddenly, whoever was in the room yanked the sheets out from under Piper, who fell off the bed. Piper quickly stood. Someone rushed her and she jumped aside, knocking into her dresser. Something threw her into her nightstand. She regained her balance and threw her hands up, but whatever she was trying to do – freeze or blow up – didn't work. Her attacker had jumped aside and her attack hit the bathroom door. The person stepped up close to Piper, revealing their identity. They grabbed Piper and left with her.-  
  
Phoebe gasped, opening her eyes. She took slow, deep breaths and tried to stop her body from shaking. She looked at Paige. "We were right. It was Wyatt. He took Piper."  
  
Paige bit her lip, tears swelling in her eyes. "What are we supposed to do now, Phoebe? We need the Power of Three for most of our spells, we don't exactly have that many spells, and we can't locate Wyatt, if he's in the Underworld, without Leo . . . who's also gone!"  
  
Phoebe shook her head sadly. "I don't know. I just don't know." She paused, then shrugged. "At least we have our powers still. That's a good thing, right?"  
  
Paige managed to nod. She sighed "I just hope Piper is okay."  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
Piper groaned, opening her eyes slowly. Wherever she was, it was dim with only candles to light up the place. It was cold and damp and she realized that she was tied up. Her head ached. It felt like she had been hit with something heavy. She blinked a few times, then realized she was in the Underworld.  
  
Then it all came back to her. Wyatt coming into her room and attacking her, fighting him but loosing. He had shimmered her to the Underworld. She fought him the entire time. He had gotten fed up and hit her, so hard she saw stars and blacked out.  
  
"You're awake," said a voice Piper recognized all too well. Wyatt came towards her, twirling a sharp dagger in his right hand. "Good."  
  
"Where's Melinda?" Piper demanded, though it sounded more like 'whurs malina?' because she was still pretty out of it from the head trauma. She blinked a few times, trying to rid herself of the dizzy feeling she had and to clear her semi-blurred vision.  
  
"Give it up, mother. Melinda belongs to me now,' Wyatt replied, annoyed. "Now, I've brought you here to make a deal. If you agree, you live. If you refuse, I kill Leo, Chris, Phoebe, Paige, and Melinda . . . while you watch."  
  
"You wouldn't. You need us. If you kill us, you won't get our powers," Piper retorted, suddenly very much alert.  
  
Wyatt nodded once. "True. But that can wait until later. So here's the deal: You willingly give up your powers to me and I will give you Melinda and Leo back."  
  
Piper stared at him blankly. Could she trust him? Probably not. She had to think of a way to outsmart him, get him to give her Melinda without forfeiting her powers. "The odds are against you, mother. You can't get out of this mess without giving up one thing or another," Wyatt noted, grinning slyly. "This is one thing the infamous Charmed Ones can't squirm out of without loosing something they love dearly."  
  
"Wanna bet?" someone asked from behind.  
  
Wyatt turned. Phoebe and Paige stood, arms crossed. Leo, whom they had located and rescued moments before, was standing beside them, looking pissed off.  
  
"How did you-"Wyatt began, looking stunned.  
  
"You might have our Book, but we still have our ways. Your little Darklighter attack didn't work. Paige lived. She orbed us down here and was able to sense Leo. We took out your guards, rescued him, and then he sensed where Piper was," Phoebe summed it up. "And now? We're going to vanquish your sorry ass!"  
  
Wyatt hissed in annoyance. "Melinda!"  
  
Melinda, in a shimmer of black, appeared beside Wyatt. She got close to him and hugged him around the middle.  
  
"That's low, you bastard!" Paige snapped.  
  
Wyatt grinned and shrugged. "This isn't over, witch. I still have your Book and the little girl. Until we meet again!" He shimmered out.  
  
Leo ran to Piper, kneeling beside her. He placed his hand over the bruise on her head and had it healed in seconds. He hugged her tightly, then helped her up and headed back to her sisters.  
  
"Melinda! He still has Melinda!" Piper whined, trying to squirm out of Leo's embrace.  
  
"We need to regroup before we go after him again," Paige said, taking Phoebe's hand.  
  
Leo nodded. He held Piper close and orbed her home, while Paige orbed Phoebe home.  
  
Chris paced the living room of Halliwell manor. He'd been doing so for nearly an hour and only stopped now because he saw the familiar blue orbs appearing. When he saw Leo & Piper and Phoebe & Paige, he felt extremely relieved.  
  
"I'm so glad you're okay, all of you!" he exclaimed.  
  
"We're not so okay," Leo replied, "Wyatt still has Melinda and the Book. And he came so close to taking Piper's powers from her."  
  
Piper pulled from Leo and sat down on the couch, tears in her eyes. "How can so much have gone so wrong in just a few days?" she asked no one in particular.  
  
"I think it's time for a plan b," Paige suggested.  
  
Everyone nodded and immediately began throwing out suggestions on how to get Melinda back.  
  
"One problem," Leo said. "We only have until midnight tomorrow to get Melinda back, otherwise she's gone for good. The evil will have taken her over completely."  
  
"It's going to be one hell of a night," Phoebe grumbled.  
  
One long hell of a night! 


	9. Sacrifices Chapter Nine

A/N: I hope everyone's enjoying this fic, and I want to thank every single person who's reviewed! It means a lot to me. Thanks! Kay, well, on with the fic! Lol. [ PS: The paragraphing got messed up, so I had to space it. ]  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
It was three in the morning, nearly seven hours after Leo and Piper had been rescued. Paige and Phoebe were collapsed on the couch, leaning into each other; eyes closed, and in a deep sleep. Leo was Up There, chatting away with the Elders. Piper was asleep on one of the big cushy chairs, tossing and turning a little. Chris sat in the chair next to Piper's. He was exhausted, yet unable to sleep. He couldn't help but feel like most of this was his fault. If he had been awake the night Wyatt had come for Melinda, she might not have been taken; if he hadn't willingly handed over the Book of Shadows, the sister's would still have it.  
  
Chris sighed, blinking a few times to keep his eyes from closing. He knew he needed to get some rest, especially if he was going to be any help to his mom and aunts, but he just couldn't. He didn't want to close his eyes, fearing he'd wake up and find everyone he loved gone, taken by Wyatt.  
  
Piper began to twist and turn again. Her arms and legs flailed slightly, her head rocking back and forth. She whimpered a few times. Chris frowned and leaned forward.  
  
"Mom," Chris whispered, touching her shoulder gently.  
  
Piper's eyes snapped open. She sat up, glancing at Chris. She licked her lips, trying to shake the memory of her nightmare away. "Thanks," she croaked, the remnants of sleep still apparent in her red eyes and slurred tone. She looked away from Chris. She was still angry with him for giving Wyatt the Book, but she also felt horrible for being so harsh on him.  
  
Chris shrugged, looking down at the floor. He yawned, closing his eyes for a minute before opening them.  
  
"You should get some rest," Piper told him, "You look exhausted."  
  
Chris shook his head. "I can't rest until Melinda is safe and back home."  
  
Piper felt her heart swell with happiness. Chris cared for his little sister so much! It made her so proud and happy.  
  
"Chris, there's nothing you can do right now. You're better off resting so you're alert tomorrow"  
  
Chris sighed and nodded, curling up in his chair. "'Night Mom," he murmured, closing his eyes.  
  
"Good night, Chris," Piper whispered, sighing as she too closed her eyes."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------  
  
The next morning, nothing had changed. Leo had been coming in and out with no news from the Elders. Piper and Paige were trying, and failing to remember ingredients to certain potions in the Book. Phoebe was trying to remember some lines from old spells, and spells in the Book, while trying to make a few new ones. But she seemed to be having writer's block.  
  
Chris paced the room, then stopped. "I need to go out for a little while. But I'll be back. Call me if anything new comes up." He orbed out before waiting for an answer.  
  
"Where is he always going?" Piper asked, to no one in particular.  
  
Paige shrugged. "He's a teenager, who knows? Maybe he has a sweetie we don't know about,' she joked.  
  
Piper rolled her eyes. "I just hope he's careful. Wyatt is getting stronger and stronger, especially with the Book in his possession. We nee-EH!" she shrieked. A fuzzy little mouse had scurried across her feet. Her instincts kicked in and she threw her hands up to freeze the little gray rodent but . . . Nothing happened.  
  
"Oh, that's not good . . ." Piper remarked, suddenly forgetting her fears as she watched the mouse run towards the wall and disappear. She looked up at her sister's. "You don't think . . . Wyatt . . ."  
  
"Phoebe, try to levitate," Paige suggested.  
  
Phoebe nodded. She took a deep breath to relax, then tried to levitate. It didn't work!  
  
"Okay, I'm officially scared," Phoebe muttered. "Without our powers, we're defenseless!"  
  
Piper chewed her lip. "Great. This is just great. I just hope Chris is being careful."  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Chris paced The Spot, the place Bianca and him called their own. He had been calling her for nearly fifteen minutes and she wasn't responding.  
  
"Bianca!" he hissed. And finally, she appeared, moving to him and embracing him. Kissing him.  
  
"What's wrong Chris? Are you okay?" she asked, seeing the look on his face and becoming worried.  
  
"I need your help – to get Melinda back. But it's very risky. I don't want you getting hurt and I won't force you into it. If you don't want to I-" But Bianca cut him off by kissing him again.  
  
"Chris, I'm here for you. Tell me what I need to do," she said gently.  
  
Bianca let out a small sigh after Chris had finished explaining what needed to be done. "Do you think it will work?"  
  
Chris shrugged. "There's no way to know for sure, especially since Wyatt has the Book of Shadows."  
  
Bianca nodded. "Well, I'll do it. For you, I'll do it." She hugged him tightly, kissing him.  
  
"Promise me you'll come back safe," Chris said, almost in a warning tone.  
  
Bianca smiled and nodded. She kissed him once more. "I will. And I'll check in whenever I get the chance!'  
  
Then, she was gone.  
  
Chris paced The Spot, nervous and praying he hadn't done the wrong thing. For now, he decided he'd go back to the Manor and wait fore Bianca to check in. He glanced around nervously before orbing back home.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
Chris orbed in to the kitchen, where Piper and Paige were sitting at the table and Phoebe was pacing.  
  
"What happened?" Chris asked, frowning.  
  
"Our powers are gone. Wyatt must have stripped them," Paige muttered, not looking up. Piper, too, continued to stare at the table.  
  
"Well, if my plan works, everything will be back to normal by midnight tonight, our deadline." Piper's head shot up and she glanced at Chris. "What plan? What did you do?" she asked nervously.  
  
"Don't worry. I worked . . . something out. Plan B is moving into action as we speak. If all goes well, we'll have Melinda and the Book back."  
  
Piper narrowed her eyes. "Chris, if you did anything stupid, I swear . . ."  
  
Chris glanced at the clock. Barely five minutes had passed since Bianca had left. He prayed she was okay trying to remain calm.  
  
"Chris, you okay? You don't look too good," Piper commented, frowning at her son and forgetting her anger.  
  
Chris shrugged a bit. He didn't want to tell the sister's of his plan because he knew they would object to sending Bianca in the line of fire. So, he lied. "I'm fine. Just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night." He glanced at the clock. Ten minutes had passed. He tried to remind himself that what he had asked Bianca to do would take well over an hour and tried not to stare at the clock every two seconds.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
And then an hour came and went. Now Chris was worried. He paced the living room. Phoebe had gone to work, despite Piper and Paige's protests. Paige was napping in her room; she was exhausted from the last couple of day's events. Piper was in the kitchen sipping coffee, her eyes puffy and tear- streaked from crying.  
  
Chris sighed as he paced, deciding that he would tell Piper about Bianca if she didn't return in the next couple of-  
  
"Bianca!" Chris cried, as soon as his girlfriend had appeared in the living room, her back to him.  
  
Slowly, Bianca turned around, a pained expression on her face. Her hands were clutched around her middle. Chris frowned and stepped close.  
  
"Bianca . . .?" he asked, taking her hands and moving them. What he saw nearly made him pass out. A large ritual dagger had been jabbed into the right side of Bianca's stomach. The only part visible was it's leather black handle.  
  
"MOM!" Chris cried. He heard pans and utensils crash to the floor, then footsteps pounding on the floor as Piper raced to the living room. Chris helped Bianca to the couch, laying her down. She was pale and sweaty and shaking.  
  
"C-Chris, I'm s-sorry . . . "Bianca wheezed.  
  
"Shh, it's okay. You're going to be okay," Chris murmured, kneeling beside her and kissing her hand. He could hear Piper behind him, gasping at the site before her.  
  
Bianca shook her head once. "N-no, I wo-won't," she managed to say, but her voice was low and raspy. "Wyatt d-did this. H-He's powerful. B-be careful, C-Chris." Bianca let out a low, strangled gasp. Her eyes grew wide, then slowly closed. She stopped breathing. 


	10. Sacrifices Chapter Ten

Chris sat on one of the armchairs, trying not to look at the couch, where Bianca's body was covered with a sheet. Piper was pacing back and forth. Paige stood near Piper, watching her pace. And Phoebe stood across from the chair Chris sat in.  
"Chris, what happened?" Paige asked calmly.  
"I asked her to do something for me . . . I never thought-"he cut off, blinking back tears. "I didn't think this would happen."  
Piper stopped pacing. "That's right! You didn't think, Chris! It's been one of your weak spots the past few days!"  
Paige ignored her, looking back at Chris. "What did you ask her to do, Chris?"  
"I . . . I asked her to go down to Wyatt and pretend she wanted to work for him, fake him out,' Chris began. "I figured . . . if she could get Wyatt to trust her, she might be able to get Melinda back from him. But he must have figured out her plan and-"He looked down, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.  
"This is great. This is just great!" Piper snarled. "And to think I wanted to know what else could go wrong!"  
"What are we supposed to do now? We don't have the Book, we don't have our powers. I don't know how we're going to get Melinda back at this point," Phoebe commented.  
"We won't get her back! We're powerless; powerless to stop Wyatt and powerless to get Melinda back," Piper cried.  
"We can still try," Chris argued.  
"Well . . . It's 2:30. We don't have much time left before midnight," Paige informed her sister's and nephew. "If we're going to do something, it has to be soon."  
  
Wyatt paced back and forth a few times before stopping and starring at Melinda, grinning. "It's a wonderful day, Melinda. Not only do I have the Charmed One's Book of Shadows, but I also have their powers."  
Melinda smiled sweetly. "No one has ever been able to do that!" she paused, frowning. "Right?" she asked.  
Wyatt nodded, smiling. "Right, little one. And with this, they are powerless. And Chris," Wyatt laughed, "he'll be heartbroken when he sees Bianca is dead. That was good work, Melinda. You are growing accustomed to your powers and you are learning how to control them.  
Melinda blushed and shrugged. "Telekinesis isn't too hard to learn. All I had to do was wish the dagger would fly at her and it did."  
Wyatt smirked. "You may go, Melinda, and have some fun. But I forbid you from going to the Manor. You may be learning to control your powers, and the witches may be powerless, but they can still trap you and take you away from me if you wonder willingly to them."  
Melinda looked horrified. "I don't want them to take me! They'll hurt me!" she whined, frightened.  
"Those evil witches can't hurt you, Melinda, as long as you are with me. With me, you are safe," Wyatt reassured her.  
Melinda smiled happily and shimmered from the room.  
Wyatt sat down, smirking. When he had brainwashed Melinda, he had implanted bad things about Piper and her sisters, Chris, and Leo. He had made it so Melinda had no memory of being Piper's daughter and believed them to be the evil one's. She didn't know Wyatt was her brother, but she viewed him as one. To her, she had been with Wyatt since the day she was born, abandoned by her own mother. According to what she thought was true, her mother was a good witch, married to a warlock by force. The good witch didn't want Melinda to suffer. So, praying that the good in her daughter would win over the evil and Melinda would be protected, the witch had abandoned her baby.  
Wyatt sighed, smiling. Soon, when Melinda was ready, he would tell her that the witch, her mother, was actually Piper. He smirked, knowing how angry Melinda would be to know that not only was her mother a good witch, but a Charmed One! He hoped she would be so angry, she would attack the sister's and, hopefully, kill them.  
Yes, it wouldn't be long before the pesky Charmed One's were out of his hair.  
For good.  
  
"How can we be sure these spells and potions will work?" Paige asked her sisters.  
It was now 3:30. Time was ticking away and the sister's were running out of ideas. They had written up some spells and made some potions, hoping they would be enough. But Paige brought up a good point; would they? The spells and potions weren't the strongest or best and they certainly weren't as good as the ones in the Book.  
"We'll just have to hope. And if they aren't, we'll have you and Chris to orb everyone home," Phoebe replied.  
Leo, who had been gone for a long time now, orbed down, looking grim and distraught.  
"Uh-uh," Piper sighed. "What is it, Leo?" she asked, expecting the worst.  
"We have less time then we thought we did," he explained. "Whatever magic Wyatt used on Melinda . . . it's devouring her. She's already killed."  
Piper's eyes bulged. "Killed?? Who?"  
Chris's stomach did a flip-flop. He knew who Melinda had killed. In that moment, he knew. "Bianca . . ." he murmured, looking down so he wouldn't have to see Leo nod.  
"Oh my god," Phoebe muttered, shaking her head. "How long do we have?"  
"An hour."  
Paige's mouth dropped open. "An hour? Leo, that isn't enough time! We just finished the spells and potions and we don't even know if they'll work. We . . . we don't have our powers anymore. Wyatt took them."  
Leo looked horrified. "What? When? Why didn't you call me? You can't go up against Wyatt without your powers. Not having the Book, that's one thing. But not having your powers??"  
"Don't you think we know that?" Piper demanded. "But we can't leave Melinda with him! She's my – our daughter Leo!"  
Leo fell silent. "I know she is," he replied, remembering their kiss. He had hoped the kiss had meant something, that maybe he and Piper- But it hadn't. It meant nothing. "But you three will die if you go after Melinda, powerless."  
Piper shrugged. "It's a risk we'll have to take."  
Leo nodded once. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." He wished them luck and orbed back Up There with the rest of the Elder's.  
Piper turned to her sister's and Chris. "It's time for the final showdown. Some of us might not make it. Some of us might die. All of us might even die,' she told them. "Is everyone willing to do this?"  
Phoebe, Paige, and Chris all nodded.  
"Our goal is to get the Book, Get Melinda, and get out of there. If we vanquish Wyatt in the process, bonus points for us," Piper continued. "Let the battle begin." 


	11. Sacrifices Chapter Eleven

A/N: This is it; what you've all been waiting for. The final chapter of "Sacrifices"!!. This is where it all comes down to one thing: The final battle between good and evil, Wyatt and the Charmed Ones. The end outcome will not be what you expect it to be! So, please, review! I'd love to get your feedback! [ Also, thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! I appreciate it so much!!!!! ]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This would be so much easier if we knew where in the Underworld Wyatt was," Paige complained.  
She and her sister's and Chris had been wondering the Underworld for ten minutes now. They had lost fifteen talking to Leo, which left them only 35 minutes to find Wyatt and Melinda, grab the Book and Melinda, and get out of there. And a couple of minutes to spare in case they had to fight off any demons, warlocks, or Wyatt himself. They didn't have much time left.  
"I'd say, let's split up because it's faster," Phoebe replied, "but we're stronger together and without our powers, we're really vulnerable, especially alone."  
"Last time I came down here, his chamber was at the very end of a long tunnel,' Chris explained.  
"Chris, we've gone down a lot of long tunnels," Piper reminded him.  
Chris shrugged. "Nothing down here looks familiar, now. It's like everything was rearranged."  
"Great," Piper grumbled. "So, while we're walking aimlessly, wasting precious time, Melinda is becoming more and more evil and Wyatt is becoming stronger. I think this is the worst day of my life."  
No one spoke after that. They continued to walk. No demons, warlocks, or other nasties were attacking, which was good and bad. Good because they weren't wasting time getting their asses kicked by demons. Bad because it meant something seriously evil was brewing.  
"Wait a sec," Chris said suddenly, stopping and looking around. He spotted a familiar looking tunnel and pointed. "That way."  
"Let's hurry. We only have twenty minutes to do everything we need to do," Phoebe reminded them, as she, Piper, Paige, and Chris ran down the tunnel at high speed.  
At the end of the tunnel, they walked cautiously into a dimly lit chamber. There was a thrown to the left, up against the wall. Two candleholders sat on either side of the throne. On the right, there was a candleholder in each corner of the room and a wooden door.  
"Okay, we're here. So where's Wyatt?" Paige whispered, clutching her share of potion bottles tightly in her sweaty hand.  
"Hiding? Maybe he isn't going to attack us. If he waits until the twenty minutes is up, Melinda is his. Maybe he's waiting for that," Phoebe said.  
Piper glared at Phoebe and prayed her sister was wrong. Her body was tense and alert as her eyes swept around the room, looking for any sign of movement in the shadows.  
"Such dumb witches, coming down here with no powers but those of your Whitelighter."  
Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Chris all turned to see who was speaking, although they already knew.  
Wyatt closed the wooden door he had come through and walked casually up to his guests. He was grinning. "So good of you to come, though, and just in time for the festivities."  
"What the hell are you babbling about?" Chris demanded.  
"You see, when I turned Melinda evil, I gave her false memories of her life," Wyatt began, looking straight at Piper. "I told her that her mother was a good witch who had abandoned her at birth. This angered her. She also believed that I took her in and, though she doesn't know that I really am blood related to her, she sees me as a brother. A few minutes before you arrived, I told her that the good witch mother who abandoned her was a Charmed One. Was you," he told Piper, smirking. "She's very angry. She has killed before, you know, and I think she is eager to do so again."  
Piper clenched her fists angrily. "You bastard!" She hissed.  
Wyatt laughed. "What are you going to do, mother? Slap me to death?" This made him laugh harder.  
"Phoebe, throw the stun potion!" Piper ordered.  
Phoebe nodded and threw the blue colored potion at Wyatt, directed at his feet. Wyatt threw his hand up and the vile exploded almost seconds after leaving Phoebe's hands.  
Piper narrowed her eyes and threw one of her potions, aimed at Wyatt's chest. The bottle contained a vanquishing potion, one similar to the potion used to vanquish Cole. This time, Wyatt waved his hand at the bottle and, using his telekinesis, sent it flying into the wall.  
"Is that the best you have?" Wyatt asked, laughing.  
Now it was Paige's turn. She threw a yellow colored potion at Wyatt. Inside the bottle was a sleeping potion. Wyatt shook his head, shimmering out of the way seconds before the potion landed where he had been standing. He shimmered back in, smirking at the sister's.  
"For witches, you're pretty pathetic!" he snarled gleefully, sending a fireball Chris's way.  
Chris orbed out, just barely escaping the fireball, which hit the wall instead. Right away, before Chris had orbed back in, Wyatt threw two energyballs, one at Phoebe and one at Paige. Paige pushed Phoebe to the side and ducked out of the way.  
Wyatt laughed. "Pretty good, I must admit. But how long do you suppose you can hold this game up?" he asked. "You don't have much time before Melinda is mine forever!"  
Piper helped Phoebe and Paige to their feet. "Spell, quick!" she shouted.  
Phoebe pulled out a piece of paper from her jeans and unfolded it. The sister's began to chant:  
  
'By the Power of Three,  
That which we wish to be,  
We banish him with this spell,  
Take him to hell!'  
  
Wyatt laughed when nothing happened. "You call that a spell? You call yourselves witches? I'm surprised evil hasn't taken over sooner!"  
"You won't win, Wyatt!" Piper shouted angrily, still clutching two bottles of potion.  
"Even if you do defeat me, mother, you still won't be able to save Melinda. In fifteen minutes, my magic becomes permanent. By the time this battle is over, you'll be too late to reverse my hold on her!" Wyatt explained triumphantly.  
Melinda shimmered into the room beside Wyatt. She scanned the room. When she spotted Piper, her expression turned bitter and angry. She held out her hand, forming a fireball in it, and threw it right at Piper, who yelped and hit the dirt. She started to stand when another fireball came whizzing by her, grazing her cheek. Piper hissed in pain, throwing her hand up and over the burn.  
"Piper!" Phoebe and Paige cried.  
Melinda turned her attention on them. She blinked at Paige, sending the youngest Halliwell backwards and flying into the stone wall, hard. Paige gasped and fell to the ground, flat on her stomach and unconscious.  
"Paige!" Phoebe cried. She took her eyes off Melinda to see if Paige was okay.  
Big mistake.  
Next thing she knew, Phoebe was doubled over in pain; Melinda had hit her with an energy ball. Phoebe cringed, gasping, before collapsing onto all fours, trying not to pass out.  
Chris rushed Wyatt, anger glinting in his eyes. Melinda spotted him. Her eyes widened as she watched Chris try to attack the only person that ( as far as she knew ) cared about her. She spotted a lone dagger, lying on the ground. She focused on it, then waved her hand at it, then in Chris's direction. The dagger flew off the ground at Chris, wedging itself into his stomach. Chris screamed in pain, falling to the ground.  
Wyatt smirked. "Good Melinda." He waved his hand at Chris, yawning like he was bored, and watched as Chris was flung into the wall. He screamed, landing beside Paige. He glared angrily at Wyatt before passing out.  
Phoebe forced herself to her feet, running to Piper. "Piper, we have to get out of here!" she hissed.  
"No! Melinda! He still has her, and the Book!" Piper protested.  
"Chris and Paige will die if we don't get out of here, Piper!" Phoebe snapped.  
"But Melinda!" Piper insisted, running forward. Phoebe tried to grab her sister's hand, but was thrown back by another energyball, courtesy of Wyatt. This time, Phoebe collapsed to the ground and didn't get up.  
Piper stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide. She was the last one standing. She was powerless and out of ideas. And unless, miraculously, Leo appeared, she was stuck down here!  
"Two minutes mother!" Wyatt informed the defeated witch, grinning.  
As if Leo had heard Piper's thought's, he appeared beside her. He saw the fallen Phoebe, Paige, and Chris. He gulped, grabbing Piper's arm. "Time to go," he told her firmly.  
"No! We can't go yet!" Piper cried, trying to tug away from Leo, but he pulled her backward towards her injured family.  
"One minute, mother," Wyatt said, grinning with joy. He had finally done it! He had defeated the infamous Charmed Ones.  
Leo linked Phoebe and Paige's hands, then linked Chris's hand to Paige's. He knelt down, brining Piper with him.  
Piper starred at Wyatt and Melinda, unable to believe that she had lost! She had lost her daughter, the Book of Shadows, her powers, and the battle.  
"Thirty seconds," Wyatt announced.  
Piper spotted something out of the corner of her eye. On the floor, near the throne, lay the Book of Shadows. Determined to get at least that back, she tugged free of Leo and ran for it. She heard Wyatt growl in outrage, heard him walking towards her. She heard a loud thump and a struggle and knew Leo was holding Wyatt back. Piper reached the throne and grabbed the Book of Shadows up, then ran towards Melinda, praying she got to her in time.  
Wyatt cried out in outrage, throwing Leo off him. Leo orbed out before he hit the wall, orbing back in beside Piper, who was inches away from Melinda. But Wyatt had launched a fireball at Piper, so Leo grabbed her hand and orbed to over to her sisters.  
Melinda ran to Wyatt and clung to him. "Three . . . two . . . one," Wyatt said, smirking at Piper's stunned expression and teary eyes. "You're too late."  
Piper watched as Wyatt shimmered out of the room with Melinda. She continued to stare at the spot as Leo orbed her and the others out of the Underworld. It still wasn't hitting Piper, that Melinda was evil, for good. That Wyatt had won.  
That Melinda was gone. For good.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE END!


End file.
